04 Jun 2006
Everything transcoded okay, Cinelerra even opened the file, I assumed OSS just couldn’t get a lock on the device because of another sound server, so I edited blind from timings in other playback. It even rendered fine. (Not, of course, in a format everything could read).
Then I realised that there was, in fact, no sound in (what must be) the three-millionth transcoded file and so it defeated me, at last. I was so excited for five minutes there that I’d be able to quickly do things the way I was planning on doing them from the start, but it wasn’t to be. So now someone will have to cue a file manually for playback… but at least it won’t be off a DVD that’ll inevitably take an embarrasingly-long period of time to spin-up.
Time to re-read Philippians 2:14-17 and shut up, I think.
14Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing. 17But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.
Praying for patience, energy.
03 Jun 2006
There’s something wonderful about a platform where everything seems moronically simple and there are no codecs to worry about, files that can’t be read, and processes that might-just-not-complete and eat your entire day. This isn’t more rampant consumerism… I’d trade in a rather-well-specced XP MCE box for a decent Mac soooo quickly right now. *launches something heavy at computers which will cause failure of exams*
03 Jun 2006
VLC is the world’s most awesome transcoding tool, just for the record, but I can’t but help think there have got to be easier ways to transcode. Things like saved presets/preferences would just make the whole process so much faster. And seeing as there are so many options there already, would it be that hard to add in/out point options to the dialog? That way I could transcode without having to then edit + re-encode. Grr.
And I still can’t afford to build an editing PC so I’m stuck with my open-source craziness for a while yet. Progress is being made on a non-PC hardware front, but that doesn’t really help the editing side of things… which, of late, I seem to be spending more time on without really having a clue what I’m doing. Best way to learn…
01 Jun 2006
“Fine, go and steal a car then!”
– A Bible study leader whose identity will remain anonymous.
Last night Stealthy Selo, Maurading Mark, Getaway Gem and I stole and proceeded to dismantle a car.
2231: Getaway Gem pulls up outside a house in suburban Matraville. There is an anxious wait for all the car’s occupants; the Insider is not yet Inside, and thus several nervous minutes were spent in contention over who would play Jawbreaker (alas, there was no Bejeweled).
2240: The Insider arrives in an unmarked vehicle. Stealthy Selo moves in to rendezvous point, contact is made. The Insider proceeds inside: but there is a complication! The keys have been obscured, so a further accomplice is required on the Inside. The accomplice succeeds in returning with a key — but it is the wrong one! With much trepidation, he returns inside on a second reconnaissance task, this time emerging with the correct keys. The car in question had already been entered, but hot-wiring cars remains marginally beyond even our elite covert-ops abilities.
2252: Stealthy Selo climbs into the car, which is situated on a slight incline. Without starting the engine, we release the handbrake and roll/push the car some thirty meters from the house. Getaway Gem waits further up the street: she clicks on her lights, and starts her car as Stealthy Selo climbs into front passenger seat, Marauding Mark the back, and I the driver’s. The Appropriated Vehicle starts first time (!!) and I pull out with Gem following.
2303: The convoy arrives at HQ, whereupon cars are parked, shuffled, and re-arranged so as to enable sufficient access to the Appropriated Vehicle.
2330: The Appropriated Vehicle is emptied (no meagre task), and various cleaning commences. Simultaneously, the destruction begins.
In this process, a few strange things are discovered: not to be deterred, we continued in our quest to install a fridge. We needed power in the boot of the car… and, short of removing the entire dash, the best we could do was stealing it from the cigarette lighter socket. If we had more time, I would have tapped the back of the lighter socket’s power and re-crimped the terminals before replacing it, but we didn’t (have time). A small casualty for a completely-useless-but-rather-cool addition to the boot of any car!
We were finished by about 2:20 am this morning, and un-appropriated the vehicle in due fashion before making an escape in the Odyssey, which had been deposited there earlier that evening in a cunning manouver orchestrated by Getaway Gem’s stealthy sedan (I really can’t remember if it’s a sedan or not, but cheesy alliterative effects are too good to be passed up! Read it and CRINGE! Muwahahaha. And it was stealthy. Appropriately missing an interior light, her car could have snuck up on anyone!). All was done by 2:40… some eight-and-a-half hours later our covert adventures were uncovered.
Happy birthday, Tim!
Full coverage available in this Flickr photoset. We were kind of busy and not taking photos often-enough, so maybe there’ll be some photos of the fridge itself in the not-too-distant future!
